As the cold season takes hold, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the range of grants and extra support available to you to help manage your energy and water bills this winter.

1. Warm Homes Discount

The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount on your electricity bill. It can also be applied to your gas bill instead, as long as your supplier provides both electricity and gas. If you’re eligible, your supplier will apply the discount to your bill, rather than paying the money directly to you.

Things to check:

💡 Is your supplier part of the scheme? All suppliers with over 1000 customers must be part of the scheme, so virtually all of them are but you can check here.  

💡 Your name or your partner’s name must be on the electricity bill in order to receive the discount

Eligibility:

💡 Core group 1: You get the guaranteed element of the pension credit 

💡 Core group 2: You get certain means tested benefits (Housing Benefit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Income Support, the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit, or Universal Credit 

💡 The difference between the groups is core group 1 is automatically eligible, and core group 2 may need to apply for the discount 

You should get a letter by early January 2026 confirming you are eligible. If you do not get a letter and you think you are eligible, please contact the Warm Home Discount helpline on 0800 030 9322 by 28 February 2026. The money should be paid into your account by the 31st of March 2026. If it is not paid in by then, please contact the above Helpline.

2. Winter Fuel Payment

The winter fuel payment is an amount of £100-£300 paid to people born before 22nd September 1959.

The amount you get is based on when you were born and your circumstances between 15th and 21st September 2025. This is called the ‘qualifying week’. You can find the varying amounts you may be eligible for here. 

Things to check:

💡 If you earn over £35,000, HMRC will take your winter fuel payment back, even though it may initially be paid into your account.

💡 You may need to make a claim for the winter fuel payment if you think you are eligible and you don’t receive benefits, or you’ve not deferred your state pension since your last winter fuel payment

💡 To claim, you can fill in this winter fuel payment form or call the winter fuel payment centre on 0800 731 0160

You should have received a letter in October or November telling you how much you will get and which bank account it will be paid into. These payments are then made automatically in November and December. If you do not receive a payment by the 28th January 2026, please contact the number above.

3. Priority Services Register (PSR)

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free UK-wide service which provides extra advice and support, including when there’s an interruption to your electricity, gas or water supply.

💡 Benefits include support and information, emergency gas, emergency power, and connections to local emergency services.

💡 You can register through your gas/electricity supplier via the PSR website. Selce can also support with registering you.

💡 Please see the eligibility criteria below – however, everyone has different needs, so always contact your supplier to discuss your needs as they can be flexible: